Article Title
"Why Acura Isn't Keeping Up"

I thought it was a good article. Read and Discuss

http://www.forbes.com/2004/02/23/cx_dl_0223feat.html

 

Good comparison for the market. As noted they only have one rear wheel drive car...

good fuel economy though

 

Good Read. Seems like the only real reason acura is doing "bad" is because of the lack of the high selling SUV's. Might be too late for them to get in that game at this point anyway.

 

I kind of agree with the article in that Acura needs to examine what "style" they are going for. I do not understand why they are so often over-looked by car buyers. I like their style and their reliability.

I think that todays car market is a very visual friendly market. Styles have changed greatly in the past 5 to 10 years. Everyone is going to the "Euro" clean look. Aggressive and with attitude. And although has somewhat of that image, they dont have any front page stayles that appeal to buyers.

There seems to be more and more money in the pockets of potential buyers. If not cash, then credit. It seems that the more expensive the automobile is, the more it will sell. I personally liked the RL. It had classic lines but looks far to much like an early model Lexus or a early 90's Mercedes.

The RSX should be left to Honda. Part of owning a high end car is the prestige of not having them make cars for the "kids".

The TSX and TL look to much alike. I want a car that stands apart from others. But for some reason, it is working for Audi...

And I agree that Acura could do well if they added a Sports Coupe maybe a Cabrio and a larger SUV. But it needs to be bold and entertaining to the eye.

To me, Acura is like what Mercury is (or was) to Ford. in the buyers eyes) Just a little fancier Honda. With some nice colors and some package options.

 

Good article. I think Acura is falling behind because of its bland image, no V8 and lack of a RWD or AWD cars. However the new RL seems to be a step in the right direction.

 

263 US dealers and MOSTLY HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE SPANNING FROM SALES TO SERVICE ! Wake up Acura !

 

good article and review coming from forbes its good....

 

Bland image was over 50% of the poll while nothing bigger than a V6 (my vote) was number 2 at about 26%. They need a bigger engined and more affordable RWD sports car to boost their image and a more powerful, luxurious RL. basically make the RL a monster and make the CL a 400hp RWD (or AWD) beast.

 

we wish that would happen..heheheehe

 

As you guys know I’m a big Acura fan and have been with them for THIRTEEN YEARS since my first Gen II Legend Coupe back in 1991, but I agree with almost everything in that article.
Acura needs to move the product line UPSCALE and make it worth the price.
My car is great for the price, but US build quality like the CL isn’t gonna cut it for much longer.

The Acura corporate ship started to take on water when they did away with the Legend name in 1996 and the hole got bigger when they started to build lower quality cars in the USA.

Shawn S

 

wow.....so dumb People want Acura to stop being Acura????? lol......

 

NO….I think Acura needs to stop being HONDA.
Honda has really improved quality & value in the last 5+ years while Acura hasn’t moved upward much.

 

"People want Acura to stop being Acura????? "

I kind of agreed. The article really doesn't bring up any real new points about Acura/Honda. I think it highlights what I think Zapata is alluding to: what people want Acura to be and not what Acura wants Acura to be.

Acura or Honda for that matter, may not necessarily want to be bigger and more prestigious. They may be growing slower but that may be their business model. If us, consumers don't like that, we can and should move to another nameplate.

 

I agree with the "underperforming dealers" part 100%.

 

You forgot Too much BULLSHIT from dealerships.


I won't be buying another acura. It was like pulling teeth to get them to do little things for me.

 

Lexus is kicking butt! 57 less dealerships but selling approx 70-90k more vehicles!

 

You have to give the buyers what they want. When you look at the other high line Japanese makers, the turnover from "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if Lexus/Infiniti made a...." to a model release is very quick. How long have people been bitching about a V8 RL?

 

makes you wonder how much Acura lost on that initial SUV that had a rollover problem though.

 

Ah yes, the rebadged Isuzu Trooper. What a POS.

 

Acura does need to get away as the Branded Honda with always being LEV or ULEV, go for the gusto and put in some big ass engines for options. Have the 3.2L or 3.5 hell offer a 4.0, 4.3 or 5.0 like others

 

Although i agree that Acura quality could be better but the price would also increase. What then would set Acura apart from other lux manufacturers???? Nothing.....

 

I think people who buy Acuras expect to pay more. That's the whole reason of having an upscale line of cars. If people are budget minded, they buy a Toyota, if they have some dough, they buy a Lexus. This is the way it used to be for Acura as well. Those on a budget bought Hondas, those with money bought Legends. I don't know when Acura became price conscious, but they did.

 

TL hasn't gone up in quality? I guess the vigor and 4 door integra were REAL luxury vehicles. MDX is light years ahead of the SLX. CL aside from tranny issues is a great car.


I would disagree.

you keep this:

Legend
SLX
vigor
integra


i'll take this:

TL
RL
TSX
RSX

 

True..... Think about this:

I paid about 34,000 for my 1991 Legend Coupe back in 1991.
I paid about 31,000 for my 2003 CL-S in 2002.

 

Sure…..Throw the BAD apples in with the GOOD ones to prove your point.

I agree the new TL rocks and the TSX is better then I thought it would be.
I think the MDX is too much money for what you get.

 

i agree though i think acura has room for improvement

 

acura's number 1 achille's heal is its customer service

they need 2 institute a program to make their customer service rival lexus....they need 2 be more strict w/their vehicle allocation 2 the dealers...i.e. dealers that do not have a csi of 90% each month will receive alot less vehicles the next month i.e. a certain percentage (15%+)....2 the best of my knowledge i think currently vehicle allocation is based on vehicle sales and csi matters very very little in allocation


high customer service will equal high quality vehicles since people will expect their acuras 2 have very minimal problems and acura will have 2 respond 2 that by making better built cars

 

If and when gas prices start going up, things could change rapidly.

OTOH, dealer network is just not up to Lexus standards. I know of at least four friends who purchased Lexus models due to the transmission debacle and difference in comments regarding dealer treatment and support. (FIX THIS NOW!!!!)

IMO, Acura will carry Honda's base design principles and they don't seem ready to build V8s and V10s for general consumption (not very energy efficient). If gas hits 3 bucks a gallon, people – in general -- would probably be more interested in good economy *and* great acceleration/performance. You can get excellent AWD performance from one or more brushless DC motors in the rear (also good for low CG). .

And, Acura sure seems to offer a lot of value for the money in terms of standard features.

Now, if they would only dump their current auto-slushboxes for DSG.

Forbes mentions the "niche" market; if Acura is still dragging their feet on a TT grade auto tranny, what does that say about building a whole bunch of different cars and spreading themselves even thinner?


Speaking of timely articles:

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/0...news/71059.htm
"Most of us don’t get it, or we do get it but it doesn’t change our behavior when we go into the showroom to buy a car," he said. "We really need to have very strong leadership."

Bransford said federal legislation would be the best way to enact healthier policies, but individual states might be able to pressure manufacturers by moving ahead of Washington. Congress has balked at raising the corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFE) standard to 40 mpg, which Bransford said would conserve 30 times the crude oil available in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but states could impose their own minimum CAFE standards above the current 27.5 mpg and close the loophole for SUVs and light trucks.

"Many manufacturers can’t afford to have two assembly lines and make two different products," he said.

Who knows what will be happening in one to two years?

 

The biggest issue I had with Acura was the horrible dealer treatment and service that I got.

Paragon Acura should be closed down by Corporate. I've heard many horror stories from that dealer alone. It's kind of sad, but as I said in another thread, I'm getting much better treatment and service from Nissan as well as my Honda dealer. It's sad that Honda treats me better than Acura ever did.

My gf's father also owns a CLS as well as a RX300. He said that he will never buy another Acura again until they approach the level of the Lexus dealer. I have to agree. People pay extra to be treated well. Not like I was treated at my old Dodge dealer.

Overall, I think Acura is improving though. I love the new TL and I have a feeling the RL will be a great car too

 

A very good read that made some valid points. We'll see how Acura does in the coming years to turn itself around.

Can't wait to see the new RL in NY however.

 

I just bought a used Acura from the dealer and so far the experience hasn't been terrible. They have also been very good in the past when my family looked at buying Acuras. But its true, part of the reason why you pay more money is to get better service. I like EricL's point though, if gas prices were ever to climb sky high for some stupid reason, you'll see more suvs parked in people's driveways next to those big gas hungry V-8 Benz's and they'll be turning to Acura for a well rounded luxury vehicle with good milage.

 

What makes me angry is, I too am a fan of Honda Acura for many years. Shawn hit the nail in the head " Acura has to stop being Honda" ! I bought a 2001 CL Type S, and 2 years later I decided to buy the 2003 Acura MDX. Well let me tell you what I tell friends, this MDX has all the goodies that all you guys complain about NOT having in our dear CL, now discontinued, done, gone with the wind. I am convienced that the MDX is the BEST vehicle they offer at this time. Electronic All wheel drive, Solid, great confortable seats like the CL Type S, not the non Type S seats, great power (260 VTEC Engine) and a redesigned TRANSMISSION that so far is like butta ! I tell friends that this is like a CL Type S on Steroids with all the bells and whistles the CL crowd wanted.
Then the final fuck, they discontinue the CL and take all the goodies and put it in that god ugly Honda Accord Coupe ! What a classic fuck in my opinion. Both my cars are paid for and I be enjoying NO car payments for a couple of years. By then Acura will 'ADAPT OR DIE" ................................NUFF SAID !